The Ringgold Police Department is gearing up with several new additions: its first-ever K9 officer, and body cameras.
The K9, a German Shepherd named Shelby, joined the department in February. Shelby's sole purpose is to detect drugs during stops and investigations and thus prevent those drugs from going back into the community. City Manager Dan Wright said due to the city's close proximity to I-75, drug seizures are becoming more common during routine traffic stops.
"When there are less drug-related crimes, the whole community comes out on top," Mayor Nick Millwood said.
He's planning on a similar effect with the outfitting of the department's officers with body cams. The cameras, Millwood said, are something that both he and Police Chief Dan Bilbrey have been interested in for some time, and should be in place by sometime in May.
"I expect it will be a great benefit for our officers and the people they have to interact with," said Millwood. "As far as I'm concerned, the more open we are about the interactions between the police and our citizens, the safer it is for everyone."
In addition, Millwood said the cameras might save the city money by helping to avoid lawsuits. The footage could be used in a court of law to support arguments during a civil case, though Wright said to his knowledge, there hasn't been a lawsuit against the Ringgold City Police Department in the 23 years he's been with the city.
Wright said the footage from the body cameras will be stored and used as Bilbrey deems necessary.
Related policy changes which went into effect in January mandate that officers on a call must have their cameras turned on throughout the entire call. An emergency situation while on patrol, however, could be an exception due to the immediacy of the emergency.
"If officers are interacting with people on a call, the cameras must be on and a report must be filed," Millwood said.
Officers who erase or alter any video will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination, the new policy states.
The department currently has 11 full-time officers and a pool of a few part-time officers who are called on when the department needs extra assistance. While final details weren't yet available, Millwood estimated the department would receive between 10 and 15 body cameras.
Donations from anonymous donors enabled the department to afford the cameras and K9 unit, Millwood said. Nearly $22,000 was donated for the body cameras and roughly $11,000 for the K9.
Millwood said recurring costs for the cameras are expected to be limited to occasional maintenance and replacement fees, and the city is looking into grants that could cover the additional insurance fees for the K9 unit, around $150 a year.